Morning journal and courier., 1887-07-11
THE coNsoLrDArED,s SCHEME.

of the Directors on Saturday-A
 Big Change ContemPlated-TO Re-
 move All the shops of the Road to
 One Place n Few Miles From New
 HaVen-To Build Up a Village for
 the EImplOYes-Facilitfes Not Great
 Enough.
 At the regular meeting of the directors or the Consolidated road in New York on Satur- day it was decided to appoint a committee to weigh the plan of having plot ot land selected along the line of the road not far from New Haven on which are to be built
 houses to be occupied by employees of the road and which will make small town like Pullman in Illinois. The Pullman place was built by the Pullman Palace Car company for the express purpose of having place where the employees of the factories of the company, which were stationed there, could reside. The employees numbered over two thousand. This bit of enterprise on the part of the Pullman company made a town of people who were dependent on one industry. On Saturday the Consolidated took the first steps toward building up such place. Wm. D. Bishop of Bridgeport Henry c. Robinson of Hartford and Joseph Clark of NewYork were appointed 8 committee to se- lect the ground which would be most suitable for that purpose.
 President Clark was seen last night by COURIER reporter. He said the matter had | been left to the committee to decide whether the time had come for the company to make such move and to look around and see where would be had good site and the price which the property would come to. The question is not one of 8 day, week, or l month, The company is in no real hurry. If it is decided to remove all the shops it would take long time to do the work. He said the recommended sale of the Derby had no bearing whatever on the contemplated re- moval of the Consolidated shops. It was foolish to think of such a thing. Not one
 of the four large shops of the road was de- signed for a large road like the Consoi-
 dated. It would be much better, as could
 readily be seen, to have all the shops concentrated at one point. Whether the Derby was sold or not, it would make no difference with the Con- solidated, which would run on the same as ever. In a manufacturing establishment where the men are not employed all the year around it would be different thing than place where the men were regularly employed the whole years as they are at the shops, and this will make it feasible to have the em- ployes all at one place, where they would be away from the political and other influences of city, and where the road could do better for them and have better control over them.
 
 the directors would not be held for two months yet unless a special one was called. Meantime the committee would probably ar- rive at conclusion of the matter as to whether the removal should be carried out. MT. Clark in answer to the query what would be done with the present shops here in case of the change being made, said they would come into play for some of the work and service of the road. There were other uses to which they could be put.
 An outline of the scheme was also obtain ed from prominent officials of the road as follows: It is proposed to select a place be- tween Woodmont and Milford and it will be about mile or mile and half square. The officials say that the work of the road is increasing to such an extent and there is such a demand for more room which neither New Haven or the other places where there are to the conclusion to concentrate all the shops of the road at one point. This scheme means the abolish ment of the shops in this city and loss of a large number of workingmen. The plan has been talked about for some little time by the officials but nothing was really done until Saturday and then nothing more than a committee of three selected to look for 6 piece of ground where all the shops can be located. As soon as the removal of the shops takes place the company will commence the erection of houses for it's employees.
 company Consolidated road second to none in the country. The equipment for such road and repair of rolling stock for this great sweep of railroad makes demand which the company is at present unable to furnish. The man agement has therefore decided to abolish it's several shops and erect one vast new plant where all the work can be done in one place. New Haven is practically the geographical center of the system of the half thousand miles of railroad. It is desirable to establish the factories as near the center of the system as possible, but there is no place in this city. The new railroad city will be founded as near New Haven as possible.
 President Reed says that there are several reasons why the company is going to make the change. He says economy is one thing and more room and facilities another.
 ested in the Consolidated and it's welfare says: The city of New Haven has somehow seemed opposed to the Consolidated and al- ways fighting it, but outside that our folks find that it will be economy to go outside and build instead of adding to shops already here. We never injured the city, but on the contrary have beautifed it greatly. We can buy land by the acre down Woodmont way for what it would cost us here by the foot. The changes, however, from the necessities of the case will be made slowly and it will be long time probably before the plan will be carried out.
 MT. E. H. Trowbridge, one of the direc- tors of the Consolidated road, was seen by 8 reporter at his residence last evening. He confirmed the stories current as to the pro posed change of the company's shops. "The matter has been talked of for some time," he said. "More than three months ago. As soon as we can get to it we will make the change. The vote was to purchase mile square and we appointed a committee to se- cure site between this city and Bridgeport. We have been looking for a place where we could locate the shops of the These shops have all got to be located some where, and the change from New Haven will be principally as 8 matter of economy. We can buy iand suitable for our purpose great deal cheaper than in this city. Our business is constantly growing and it is a step that would have to be taken sooner or later.
 ''There are 1, ,500 men employed in the shops of the company and there is an average of five persons to family, which would make ! about 7,500 persons. There are 5000 men on ] the pay roll of the company"
 ''Has this action anything to do with the I action of the aldermen in voting to accept ! Mir. Starbuck's offer for the Derby?"
 Nothing whatever. It has been planned | for 8 long time"
 The moving of the shops from this city l will be hard blow to New Haven, said a l The 1900 or 1,50O men em- ployed at the shops in this city, who annu | ally spend large sum of money in this city, | will have to leave their homes. The em- l ployes who have heard of the scheme are | very much disconcerted over it. Those who | rent houses to their employees, who mostly | reside about Howard and Kimberly avenues, are in no smooth frame of mind. Their | houses will be vacated and will stand idle | for long time. The company intends to I rent the houses it erects in it's little village to the employees for just enough to cover the l investment, and not with any idea of making money. Thus the rent will come cheaper 1 than what they are now paying. It is the intention of the company to build schools l and churches, and when the town has sufi- | ciently grown the legislature will be called on ! to incorporate it.
 Allowing that the railroad has 1,500 such ! employees in shops in this city and Hartford, and they are nearly all men with family, it l can be easily seen that the little railroad col- ony will number 5000 or 1000 persons. The | railroad company will provide everything | for the welfare of it's employees tending to I the amelioration of their moral condition |